Physical objects and people can be equipped with networked sensors to connect to cloud-based computing systems (applications) which track and/or actuate an object's performance, environment information, location, and can track health status. This interrelation is what is meant by “Internet of Things” or IoT, and it is growing rapidly.
An estimated over 9 billion devices in the world are connected to the Internet, including computers, tablets and smartphones. According to a February 2013 estimate, that number is expected to increase to somewhere in the range of 50 billion to one trillion devices within the next decade. But all technical issues are not yet in place to support this growing pace. Device manufacturers need to agree on a standard or Application providers need to have a way to learn and adapt each sensor protocol. Until such interoperability between devices and cloud-based computing systems is widely available, IoT applications will require extra effort to build and maintain integrated system.
IoT devices can be of varied types including medical pendants, smart watches, LED lights, industrial machines covering areas of healthcare, wearable devices, home automation devices (e.g., appliances), smartphones, computers, Energy Grid systems, even Automobiles. They generate data in a form which is processed by data analytic systems in the Application which leads to logic information to guide further action locally or remotely. However, the data analytics systems in the Cloud cannot interpolate all data forms generated by every type of IoT device at this point. In order to do so, manufacturers will need to agree on a standard and share language that will enable interoperability between IoT devices and Application(s).
Broad standards in other technologies exist. For example, Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine of DICOM is a standard for the medical imaging industry. It includes a file format and communication protocol. As long as manufactures follow the DICOM standard, the medical images they produce are able to display for diagnosis, handle, store, print, and transmit within hospitals and healthcare facilities around the World. Given such board range of IoT device categories, from a soil moisture monitor to a motion detector to a heartbeat measurer, a standard format and protocol to realize the full interoperability of IoT devices is not an easy undertaking. Not mention that the cost of IoT devices must fall to levels that can spark widespread use.
Until the invention of the present application, these and other problems in the prior art went either unnoticed or unsolved by those skilled in the art. Clearly, for at least the above reasons, the need to provide a global standard for all IoT devices is of great importance. The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a system and methods which reduce integration procedures an Application has to understand for any given IoT device command instruction, as well as data format, in order to control and actuate the device.